Cops to verify 2 lakh migrants before polls

Ahead of Republic Day celebrations and the state assembly elections, the Gautam Buddha Nagar police have launched a drive to verify about 2 lakh illegal immigrants, including Bangladeshi nationals. Darpan Singh reports.

Ahead of Republic Day celebrations and the state assembly elections, the Gautam Buddha Nagar police have launched a drive to verify about 2 lakh illegal immigrants, including Bangladeshi nationals.

The additional director general of police (intelligence) visited Noida on Saturday and held a meeting with special branch officials over the issue. Officials fear presence of some terror modules and bogus voters in Noida and Greater Nodia.

The Supreme Court had recently asked the state government to identify Bangladeshi immigrants.

About 4 lakh Bangladeshi immigrants live in Uttar Pradesh. Most of them said to have got electoral photo identity cards issued from the election commission. About 30,000 of them live in Noida. Among 143 Bangladeshis apprehended for deportation during a recent drive, as many as 93 were from Noida.

The Senior superintendent of police of Gautam Buddha Nagar, Jyoti Narayan, said, “I have told the local intelligence unit to verify those who have migrated to Noida and Greater Noida from eastern states to make sure we don't ignore any terror modules.”

The SSP has also asked all circle officers in rural areas to get those migrants working as labourers at places like brick kilns photographed and send their details to respective police stations.

“This exercise alone will create fear in the minds of many illegal immigrants and they will leave the district during the two major events,” he said. The SSP, however, said, “We send verification forms across to respective states, but there has not been much response from them. A large number of our forms sent to various eastern Indian states have not been verified.

The official said that Noida police were not able to execute a number of non-bailable warrants issued by courts because the persons concerned are not found at the addresses mentioned in some documents. “RWAs and industries also need to be more cooperative,” he added.

There are about 10,000 industries in Noida. About 1,000 new tenants come to the city everyday.

Most of them live in unauthorised colonies in urban villages. Getting details of all factory workers, servants and tenants has been a challenge. “We're carrying out our drive in sensitive pockets where specific groups of people are living,” the senior superintendent of police said.